Saturday, March 16, 2013

CAF election: Magiari sets up fight to finish with Adamu

Dr Adamu, Maigari, Rafiu Ladipo when the going was sweet

*No more approval for Copa Lagos
beach soccer

*Six of Adamu’s men in the FA faces sack

by Olajide Fashikun

For his
alleged role in the failure of the sitting President of the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF), Aminu Maigari, in winning the last elective congress to
Confederation of African Football Executive Committee, Dr. Amos Adamu’s son,
Samson, may no more enjoy the support and approval of the federation again.

An
authoritative insider in the football house told www.gongnews.net that, “Dr. Amos Adamu for
his own selfish interests worked against the emergence of Maigari who had the
backing of the Federal Government. For this, we shall also ensure that his
son’s Copa Lagos beach soccer event will not receive our blessing again.”

Alhaji
Aminu Maigari is fuming over the role allegedly played by Dr Amos Adamu.

He
caused a thorough digest and analysis of the events that took place before, during
and after the 35th CAF Ordinary Congress. Maigari’s fight back strategy is
first sacrificing the Copa Lagos beach soccer championships.

The politricks: Unlike the unfortunate
defeatof Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima inKhartoum, Sudan two years ago,Maigari’s own last Sunday camein a devastating fashion. In 2011,Galadima was a late entrant intothe race after the former occupantof the seat, Dr Amos Adamu lost inhis appeal of a three-year ban fromfootball for allegedly seeking bribesduring the 2018 and 2022 World Cupbidding contests by Federation ofInternational Football Associations
(FIFA).

Maigari,
we were told, hit the road for campaigns as early as last year. If Galadima
lacked enough support from the Nigerian government two years ago, the same
cannot be said of Maigari.

Sports
Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi led the Federal Government delegation to Yaounde,
Cameroon to pay homage to Issa Hayatou and to seek his support for the Nigerian
candidate for the CAF executive seat.

How
true it was that Hayatou pretended to be very busy and never met the Nigerian
minister remains to be verified but by the Minister’s utterance, he met with
Hayatou.

Adamu betrayal: “In Marakech, we had
concreteevidence that our efforts
werefrustrated by DrAmos Adamu, said a deep involved
source in the NFF.

The
source added that, Maigari sought for and got the support of Dr Amos Adamu few
weeks to the election and got “a positive response.”

The
source alleged that: “One of the delegates from East Africa was supposed to be
reached by Dr. Adamu on Maigari’s behalf. Adamu received $10,000 on his behalf
and assured that he had flown him to Lagos and “sorted out” things. This is
seemingly not provable nor receiptable.

The
East African delegate was said to have been embarrassed when Maigari approached
him in Morocco, frantically apologising for not being able to meet him
personally during his visit to Lagos. The delegate was so shocked that he
tendered his international passport to confirm that he was not in Nigeria in
the weeks leading to the CAF election.

Back
in the country, Alhaji Maigari is said to have sworn to take his pound of flesh
off Adamu, first by retrieving his $10, 000 from the former FIFA top executive
and secondly, to stop his son’s beach project from receiving the FA’s backing.

“He
worked against the candidacy of Maigari, behind the scene. On approaching
delegates for their votes, we were told that they had counter instructions from
Nigeria to the effect that the

Beninois
candidate, Anjorin Moucharaf should be supported.

Why Adamu may have
worked aganst Maigari: “If Maigari had won, he would have been in CAF Executive
Committee for four years (2013-2017), meaning when Dr Adamu’s ban is lifted in
November, chances of his returning to the body would have been slim.

Adamu
will be eligible to contest for a CAF election in two years (2015). President
Issa Hayatou has been elected unanimously to an extended sixth tenure since his
first election on the 10th March, 1988. Issa Hayatou was the only candidate
for the President of the Executive Committee at the last election.

Grand fight in the offing: Readers will
recall we had reported that Maigari is set for bigger internal cleansening of
the FA. We have been guaranteed that a list of six of Dr. Amos Adamu’s key men
working in the Nigeria Football Federation would receive the hammer of sack
very soon.

Signal
to this effect came from an usual corner when former Gombe state FA chairman,
Alhaji Gara-Gombe on Monday in a television programme accused Nigeria born suspended
FIFA and CAF executive member, Dr Amos Adamu of plotting the failure of NFF
President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari in the recently concluded CAF executive
elections in Morocco.

Gara
while speaking on African Independent Television (AIT) morning programme
‘Kakaaki’, said the former Director General of the Nigeria Sports Commission
should be blamed for the rejection of Maigari in the CAF elections held in
Morocco on Sunday.

According
to him, the Federal

Government
should institute a probe panel to investigate the level of the involvement of
the former Director General on the failed attempt by Maigari in the CAF
executive elections.

Gombe
who recalled the role he played at the elections of the suspended CAF and FIFA
executive member in Cairo, Egypt, said it is unfortunate that individual interest
is allowed to override National interest, saying the cabals in CAF will not
allow credible person to be part of the executive.

Gombe is a paid agent: In a swift reaction, Mr
John Atale, an aide of the suspended FIFA and CAF executive member while
describing Gara-Gombe as a paid agent said it isunfortunate that Dr Adamu is beingaccused wrongly.

According
to Atale, the failure of Nigeria’s candidate in the elections should not be
used by hangers on to feed.

To
him, the claim by Gombe on the role of Dr Adamu is baseless as it is not the
first time elections into the CAF executive is conducted and people losing out
in such elections.

Atale,
who alleged that the former Gombe Football Association boss is only working for
his master who gave him a contractor job during the just concluded Nation’s Cup
in South Africa, should not be taken seriously in matters like this, as it is
his stock in trade.

“We
know Gara too well, he was one of the NFF contractors in South Africa during
the Nations Cup, he is only looking for his food to eat but is unfortunate that
he is dragging Dr Adamu’s name into it, a man who has been out of the Sports
circle all these while, it is surprising that Gombe is paid to lie,” Atale
narrated.

Going
down memory lane, Atale said “that elections in the past have seen the eventual
winner losing in Sudan, just as Danny Jordaan of South Africa lost in his bid
too, without any head rolling or claims of sabotage.

“Mousharaf
Anjorin lost in Sudan and you can see too that Jordaan lost just as our man
Maigari lost too, so for Gara-Gombe to wake up and start dancing to his own
drums beat tells much of his trademark, we are not joining issues with him but
we are only concerned because he is just telling blatant lies to suit his paymaster,”
Atale noted.